Amusement game accessory



Feb. 26, 1935. M GENSBURG AMUSEMENT GAME ACCESSORY Filed May 23, 19

1N VEN TR. M yer Gensbwy BY M HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTjOFYFlC Ef l-if AMUSEMENT GAME ACCESSORY Myer Gensburg, Chicago, 111. Application May 23, 1934, Serial No. 727,032 V 5 Claims. (01. 273-122) This invention relates to certain novel improvements in an amusement game accessory and has for its principal object the provision of a novel construction of this character which will be highly'efficient in use and'economical in manufacture.

The present invention is a continuation in part of my co-pending application on an amusement game accessory, now Patent No. 1,972,381, dated September 4, i934.

Among the severalobjects of this invention is to provide an amusement game accessory of the type played with marbles or balls and particularly for that type of game apparatus known as marble games, the present invention being particularly concerned with providing a novel device by means of which trapped balls may be automatically released by a ballor balls operatively engaging a ball retarding mechanism whereby the retarding ball will be momentarily slowed down in its movement along a runway during the releasing of the trapped ball so that the retarded ball will not arrive at its termination prior to the arrival of' the released trapped ball.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus having a plurality of runways through and along which balls are adapted to move and at predetermined points by being releasably trapped in said runways and released from said trapped position by means of a ball moving through or along one of said runways.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by a reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a game board illustrating my invention associated there: with;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of same taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of the same similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but showing the parts thereof in different positions; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of the same taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1.

I have found from actual experimentation with a game apparatus in which game apparatus a subsequent moving ball is designed and intended to operate mechanism for releasing a trapped ball that unless the subsequent movable bal1=is momentarily slowed down, but not stopped, during the releasing operation to release the-trapped ball that in many instances the releasing ball will arrive at itsdestinationsimultaneously with or prior to the trapped or released ball.

It is therefore one of the many objects of this invention, irrespective of form or location of the various parts comprising my invention, to provide a mechanism operable to trap a ball and be operated by'mechanism operable'by a subsequent movable ball which in turn is momentarily slowed down during'the releasing operation.

To accomplishthis I provide a game apparatus which'embodies a game or play board 12 upon which there are fixed a plurality of rails or bars 14 providing runways 15 through and along which balls projected in a Well known manner upon the game board are designed to move.

At predetermined points with respect to these runways I provide ball traps 16 designed and adapted to trap the balls in the runways until released by mechanism to be presently described. These ball traps aresubstantialIy similar to the ball traps described and claimed in my prior application hereinbefore referred to'and those traps" indicated at A'each' comprise parallel arms 17 that are pivotally mounted at their upper ends upon upright supporting posts 18; each ball trap 16 having a transverse gate portion 19 at its lower end portionadapted to engage a ball and hold the same from running down that particular alley when the corresponding stop meniber is in lowered position wherein its arms'l7 rest upon the rails 14 which as herebefore indi-. cated define the runwaysx The arms 17-of the ball trap: 16 are bent back upon themselves to provide parallel lifting arms 20 the ends of which are disposed over lifting pins 21 as shown. These lifting pins 21 are provided with disc shaped head portions 22 which engage the lifting arms 20. These lifting pins 21 furtherinclude shank portions 23 slidably mounted within bushings 24: fixed in apertures 25 of the 'board 26 of the game board'12. The lower end portion of these lifting pins engage the end of portions 2'7 of the lifting bars 28 which bars are pivotally supported from the underside of the board 26 as at 29. The opposite end portions 30 of the lifting bars are angled upwardly as at 31 for projection through apertures 32 formed in the board 26 and the extremities of these angled end portions are bent to provide shoulders 33 which engage the under side of spring elements 34. These spring elements 34 are of the leaf spring type therefore corresponding end portions fixed to the top surface of the board 26 as at 35.

These spring elements 34 are arranged in the runways 15 in the path of movement of balls traveling therealong.

The ball trap indicated at B is slightly different in construction over the ball traps indicated in .A in this respect:

The lifting fingers 36 of the ball trap B are eachformed as an integral part of a U-shaped bar 37 which extends across adjacent runways 14 beneath the spring elements 34 of said runways and has its limb portions 38 thereof pivotally supported upon the board 26 as at 39 with the bight portion 40 thereof adapted under certain conditions to engage in a transverse groove 41 formed in the board 26.

The lifting fingers 36 have their end portions 42 angled in a direction to be disposed beneath the arms 17 of the trap B as best shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of the traps A and B are substantially the same with certain exceptions which will be hereinafter noted.

With reference to the traps 'A when a ball is blocked in one of the runways by one of the traps a subsequent ball-moving along that runway will in its movement along that runway come into engagement with the spring element 34 and the weight of this ball plus the addition of the weight of a counter-weight 43 secured to the end of the lifting bar 30 will pivot the lifting bar 28at 29 by depressing the spring element 34. This movement of the lifting bar 28 will move the lifting pin 21 upwardly and consequently by reason of an engagement of the head 22 of thispin with'the lifting fingers 20 will pivot the ball trap 16 upwardly thereby releasing the trapped ball and thus permit its continued movement along the runway.

By reason of the fact that the released ball must compress the spring element 34to bring about the release of the trapped ball it is manifest that the speed of movement of the releasing ball will be momentarily slackened thus permitting the trapped ball to start to move'along the runway.

With reference to trap B the depressing of the springs 34 which engage thebights 40 of the U-shaped members 37 will pivot the releasing fingers 36 upwardly and thereby pivot the trap B upwardly to release the trapped ball for further movement along the runways.

By this simple and inexpensive mechanism I have provided a means for not only retarding the movement of balls traveling along the runway but I have also utilizedthis retarding mechani'sm for the purpose of operating release mechanism to release the balls trapped by the ball traps.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction of my invention this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I,

therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise structure or form shown but desire to avail myself of such modifications or alterations as come within the scope of, the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of runways through and along which balls are adapted to move, means at predetermined points in said runways for releasably trapping said balls, and means actuated by balls moving. along said runways subsequently to the trapped balls for actuating said trapping means to release the trapped balls, said trap actuating means including means for retarding the movement of said subsequently moving balls.

2. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of runways through and along which balls are adapted to move, means at predetermined points in said runways for releasably trapping said balls, and means actuated by balls moving along said runways subsequently to the trapped balls for actuating said trapping means to release the trapped balls, said trap actuating means including means for retarding the movement of said subsequently moving balls, said retarding means comprising normally buckled spring elements disposed within said runways in the path of movement of said balls.

3. A game apparatus comprising a play board, means providing ball runways upon said play board, ball trapping means at predetermined points in said runways, and means for actuating said ball traps to release balls trapped thereby, said means comprising mechanism operable by balls moving along and through said runways subsequently to the trapped balls and said trap actuating means embodying means for retarding the movement of said subsequently moving balls.

4. A game apparatus comprising a play board, means providing ball runways upon said play board, ball trapping means at predetermined points in said runways, and means for actuating said ball traps to release balls trapped thereby,

said means comprising mechanism operable by balls moving along and through said runway subsequently to the trapped balls, said trap actuating means comprising normally buckled spring elements disposed in said runways in the path of movement of said balls.

5. A game apparatus comprising a play board, means providing ball runways upon said play board, ball trapping means at predetermined points in said runways, and means for actuating said ball traps to release balls trapped thereby, said means comprising mechanism operable by balls moving along and through said runway subsequently to the trapped balls, said trap actuating'means comprising normally buckled spring elements disposed in said runways in the path of movement of said balls and said spring elements functioning to retard the movement of said subsequently moving balls.

MYER. GENSBURG. 

